


Essex (A Ship With No Port)

by that_one_kid



Category: The Expanse Series - James S. A. Corey
Genre: Alien tech & Protomolecules, Amos & Naomi friendship, Dark, Fairy Tales, Gen, Holden is kinda an idiot, Magic, Or maybe science, Surrealist, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-14 11:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9178699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_one_kid/pseuds/that_one_kid
Summary: Fae-style AU where Holden never met the crew and the Cant was never destroyed. Takes place on a colony world, through the rings.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, this got super weird and didn't end how I expected it to. Sort of spoilers for the books, and it will definitely make more sense if you've read them.

The paths through the mysterious woods were surrounded by dense forest, which Holden found ominous, and he looked around uneasily. He’d tried lighting his way with his hand terminal, but it didn’t have a noticeable effect on the inky blackness. When he’d agreed to come out here with Alex, he’d pictured strange creatures and warm, wooden homes. Alex had spoken of adventure and excitement, and at some point amidst the aching dullness of the Canterbury's ice haul, he’d agreed. But now, here he was, alone and stumbling over the snake-like roots of the trees, with those same strange creatures to keep him company. The sound of a branch breaking overhead threw the bird-like creatures nearby into panic, and the grating tone of their alarm made Holden wish for the birds of Earth, who stayed silent and asleep at night.

“Don’t move.” a woman’s voice called, from behind him. He jumped, and started to turn. “Stay where you are!” the voice called again, more urgently. Holden froze, and looked slowly around. A tell-tale glint of silver, in the dim light of the two moons.

“Shit.” he remarked, considering the web around him. The colonists had found the webs early on, only a few weeks into starting the farms and homes just outside the forest. The material they were spun from was organic, if barely, and strong and sharp enough to cut whatever ran, tripped, or flew through it into large, ragged chunks. Holden had seen it happen once, and the memory of the spider analogs swarming over the meat still haunted him at night. They cleared the paths of them regularly, though, so he hadn’t been looking out for them tonight.

“That’s Gonturan,” she said from behind him. “It’s sharp.”

“I know. I forgot my light,” he said, embarrassed. “Thank you for warning me. I’m going to try to step out, now.” He slid the hand terminal through the air, slowly, shining its dim light ahead of the movement to check for threads. He found an open spot, stepped slowly into it, and then backed out of the curved web. He stumbled over a root behind him, and tripped backwards, falling into the arms of his mysterious benefactor. She laughed - a high, musical sound - and helped him to his feet. “I’m embarrassed to say,” Holden began, as he warily eyed the web. “I don’t recognize your voice. Which landing party are you with?”

“That doesn’t matter. Let me take you a safer way,” she said, taking him by the arm and leading him into a gap in the undergrowth he hadn’t realized was there.

“It’s just that I though I knew everyone on the ship, more or less.” Holden said, and then bit back a smile. “Especially the women.”

“No one really knows me,” the strange woman said, and he caught a glimpse of her hand on his arm in the dim moonlight. Her skin was dark, and smooth, unscarred by the manual labor most of the colonists had been doing for the past few months. He wondered if she was one of the scientists. She broke into his thoughts with a calm “We’re here.”

“We’re where?” he said, looking around. The trees were less dense here, so there was enough moonlight trickling down to see the clearing ahead. A wood cabin sat in the center of the clearing, a warm light flickering through the windows.

“How the hell did you get permission to build this here?” Holden said, picking up his pace and admiring the workmanship of the building. The logs were stripped of bark and solidly held together with something that had an impressive resemblance to pine resin. It looked just like the cabins he’d seen in Montana as a boy, except that it was on an alien planet.

“I didn’t ask for permission. Are you staying for dinner?” she asked. He glanced in through the glass-paned windows at the solid wooden table inside, and the roaring fire in a stove, and the first shadow of a doubt crept into his mind. They hadn’t brought any glass with them, had they? Then she opened the door, spilling light, heat, and a delicious smell out into the forest clearing, and his stomach growled loudly.

“I guess it couldn’t hurt to have a meal before hitting the road.” Holden said, contemplatively. “That is, if you have some to spare.”

“For a handsome stranger alone in the woods?” she said, and a blush crawled up his cheeks. In the light from inside, he could see her dark hair and piercing brown eyes, and her smile was bright against her dark skin. She was truly the most beautiful woman he’d seen around.

“Where’d you get that stove?” he asked, as they walked into the warm, single room of the cabin.

“I built it. I’m good at building things,” she said, walking to the pot set on the stove and lifting the lid to smell the contents. Holden distracted himself from his rumbling stomach by glancing around the cabin. There was a single, four-poster bed in the corner, made tidily, and a cabinet of unpolished wood by the stove. The only other items in the house was the incongruous electric light that lit the room with a flickering, sodium-yellow light and the table and chairs. There was a knock on the door, and he turned in time to see her let in a heavily-built man carrying a heaping armful of firewood. He crossed the room, gave Holden a cheerful grin that, for some reason, completely unnerved him, and started stacking the wood by the stove.

“Um, hello.” Holden said. He started to give his name, and abruptly realized that he’d never gotten the woman’s. “I’m Holden.”

“I’m Naomi. It’s very nice to meet you, Holden,” Naomi said, and the man stood, brushing the wood chips from his coat onto the newly-formed wood pile. “Amos,” she said, catching the strange man’s shoulder as he went to walk by her. “The roof is leaking again.” Holden expected him to protest that it was dark outside, that he’d just gotten back. Instead, Amos just gave her one of his eerie smiles.

“Right, Boss.” he said, and headed outside again, the door swinging shut behind him.

“So, are you two an item?” Holden said, uncomfortable all of a sudden and trying to hide a knot of disappointment he really shouldn’t be feeling.

“An item?” she said, and she looked so confused that he tried to explain.

“You know, a couple? Are you two together?” he clarified.

“Well, we live together,” she pointed out, but her tone didn’t really clarify her meaning. Holden waited to see if she would elaborate, but she just started taking dishes out of the cabinet.

“He’s an interesting guy,” Holden finally said, and she smiled.

“That’s why I keep him around.” she said, setting two bowls and spoons on the table. They ate in companionable silence, with Holden’s offer to wait for Amos politely waved away. The soup was good, and filling, and Holden ate with a gusto he hadn’t really felt since landing on the strange, alien planet. There was the faint sound of hammering for a while from the roof, and then nothing. He didn’t think much of it, or of the sound of the door opening, so he wasn’t surprised when they finished their soup and Amos took the bowls. He was sleepy, and the bed in the corner looked warm and inviting.

“Why don’t you stay the night?” Naomi said, gesturing to the bed. He shook his head, his eyes already drooping.

“That sounds awfully nice, but I really ought to be getting back,” he tried, but she waved away his objections.

“It’s late and the path is dangerous. You’d better go in the morning, when you can see the webs.”

“Well, that makes sense.” Holden said, or rather tried to say. His words seemed to be slurring together. “I’ll jus’ lay down take a lil nap…”

The world faded to darkness around him.

~ ~ ~

“If it bothers you, boss, I can bring them in for you.” a deep voice said, and there was a pause.

“I know, Amos, but you’re not exactly his type.” a higher voice responded, with an affectionate but exasperated sigh. “And I need enough power to finish the engine.”

“Fair enough. But next time, I might be their type. Not all of the guys are gonna be interested in you,”

“It’s frustrating.” she sighed, in agreement. “I did so want to collect them all.” Holden stirred slightly, trying to make sense of the words, but it was like trying to read a reflection in a river. Then Naomi glanced over and it all dissolved into ripples again. By the time he was aware enough to hear again, the conversation was stopped, and his troubled mind decided it had been a dream. Later, he sighed happily and rolled over as Naomi slid into the bed next to him. Her warmth lulled him to sleep, and he relaxed into it.

_Except._

He jerked awake, lying frozen in the bed. His mind was perfectly relaxed, and totally at ease. The cabin was still, and dark, the faint light of the moons still glimmering on the window.

_Except._

He shook his head, trying to remove the cloud of doubt and fear that had yanked him from slumber. It was all fine, he was sleeping here for the night, and then he’d be on his way home. Naomi was asleep next to him, and she looked peaceful. Everything was perfectly safe.

 _Except_.

“Except what?” he muttered to himself, irritably. A chance to get a decent night’s sleep after an amazing meal, and he was wasting it because his stupid mind wouldn’t relax.

_Doors and corners, kid. Doors and corners._

He glanced around nervously, and his heart suddenly leapt into his throat. A shape was outlined in the door, still and silent. He pushed himself up to one elbow to look closer. Amos. Then he glanced around the room. There was no other furniture, except the hard wooden chairs at the table. The poor man was probably just trying to get some sleep, since Holden had stolen half of his bed for the night.

_In the doorway? Doors and corners._

They’d been nothing but kind to him, and he’d no reason to suspect them of anything. They’d been completely open, and they’d fed him that amazing stew. He glanced down at Naomi, and in the dark, he saw her looking at him, her eyes glowing softly in the light from - from - Holden’s mind stuttered to a stop. There was no light to be reflecting in her eyes, and yet her eyes were glowing softly, in a gentle periwinkle hue. Her brown eyes.

“Damn. I knew I should have just drugged you.” Naomi said, and sprang away as he yelped and reached for her arm. She drew a dagger from a sheath on her leg, and in a sudden movement she thrust it towards his stomach. Holden knocked her arm to one side, hard, and her arm hit the pole at the edge of the bed with a crunch. The knife clattered to the floor, and Naomi fumbled for it with her other hand, cursing in some language that Holden didn’t recognize.

“Boss.” Amos said, still silent and unmoving in the doorway. Holden caught a glimpse of the dagger, and he snatched it up, warily eyeing the others in the room.

“Amos,” Naomi managed, her voice thick with pain and a sudden accent. Amos closed the gap from the doorway to Holden in just a bit more time than it took Holden to raise the knife. Amos pushed between Naomi and Holden, and Holden shoved the knife forwards, blindly, as hard as he could. He felt it slide into the man’s chest, a sickening sensation, and he let go of the knife, backing up fast enough to slam his back into the wall behind the bed. Amos glanced down at the handle of the dagger, imbedded deep into his chest, and  _smiled_. The same empty smile that he’d had the whole time. A smile that didn’t reach the eyes. He reached down and tugged the knife back out, looking at it like it was an inconvenient chip of wood.

“What.” Holden managed, and Naomi, rising to her feet and cradling her arm, gave him a sudden, feral grin of her own. Amos handed her the knife, and she lowered her broken arm with a wince, taking the knife with her other hand. Holden was still looking at Amos, bleeding steadily from the gash that should've killed him. 

“He doesn’t have a heart.” Naomi said, and Holden bolted. He made it two steps before Amos’s arm closed around his throat, dragging him back to a headlock in front of him. The blood from his chest was warm on Holden’s back. “I know, because I tried to cut it out, like I cut them all out. He just doesn’t have one.” She stepped closer, angling the dagger at Holden’s chest. “It’s why he sticks around. He doesn’t have his own, so he borrows mine.”

“Why do you need hearts?” Holden asked, scanning the room, playing for time. 

“Stupid Earther,” she spat, and her eyes glowed a little brighter, the blue light reflecting off of the knife. “Underestimating what you have. It’s not just meat. It’s power. And soon I’ll have enough power to get us off this rock.” Blue fireflies danced around the cabin, although Holden was too far gone to hysteria and adrenaline to notice. “All we need is enough humans, enough radiation, and we will build a ship to bring us all back.”

Then the knife cut into his chest and he stopped hearing anything at all.

  


the end


End file.
